Joseph a



(No Model.)

J. A. LEVISON.

CORSET GLASP. No. 438,009. Patented'Oct. 7, 1890.

JOSEPH A. LEVISON, OF'NEW YORK, N. Y.

CORSET-CLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,009, dated October '7, 1890.

Application filed January 14, 1889. Serial No. 296,233. (No model.)-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. LEVISON, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new Improvement in Corset-Clasps; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a front view of a portion of the two busks with the stud upon one and the improved eye-piece upon the other, the two separated; Fig. 2, a section through the eyepiece in the plane of the busk outside the latch, showing the stud as entering the slot of the eye-piece; Fig. 3, an edge view of the busk, showing outer end view of the eye-piece; Fig. 4, a top view of the eye-piece attached to the busk; Fig. 5, the blank from which the eye-piece is formed; Fig. 6, the eye-piece as bent preparatory to attachment to the busk; Fig. 7, the latch detached; Fig. 8, a modification in the formation of the eye-piece.

This invention relates to an improvement in the attachment applied to the busks of corsets as a means for securing the front edges thereof, and particularly to that class in which one of the busks is provided with a stud and the other with a projecting eye adapted to engage the said stud, the object of the invention being to combine with the clasp a locking device which will hold the eye portion engaged with the stud and WhlGh locking device will be automatic 1n its engagement; and it consists in the construction as hereinafter described, and particularly recited in the claim.

A represents a portion of one busk of a corset, and B the corresponding portion of the other busk. The busk B is provided with one or more headed studs 0 in the usual manner. The eye portion is attached to the other busk A. This eye portion is made from a blank. (See Fig. 5.) This blank is a little more than twice the length of the eye portion, and at its two ends is constructed with rivetholes a for attachment to the busk. Gentrally through the blank a slot 1) is cut, the slot at its two ends corresponding substantially to the diameter of the body of the stud with which the eye is to be engaged, and the length of the slot is considerably greater than twice the diameter of the body of the stud. The blank is bent or doubled to bring the two end portions d and e over each other and distant from each other equal to the thickness of the busk A, to which they are to be attached, and as seen in Fig. 4. The portion of the double blank which projects from the edge of the busk forms a recess f (see Fig. 6) outside of and parallel with the plane of the busk. The doubling of the blank forms an opening g into the outer or projecting end,as seen in Fig. 3, and the slot is preferably made wider at its center, so as to produce a flaring mouth to the opening into this eyepiece.

Into the recess f a latch h is hung upon a pivot 1 and so that the latch may turn freely in the eye-piece. The nose Z of the latch is adapted to swing across the opening g, as seen in Fig. 1, the edge of the nose being beveled outward and its inside curved, so that when in the closed position there will be a clear circular opening through the eye-piece corresponding to the body of the stud; but when the latch is turned away from that closedposition, as seen in Fig. 2, the opening into the eye-piece is free for the introduction or removal of the stud, as represented in Fig. 2. The latch is provided with a spring m, the tendency of which is to yieldingly hold the latch in its closed position. The latch is constructed with a tail n, which projects from the opposite side of the eye-piece, as seen in Fig. l, and by means of which the latch may be opened, as from the position in Fig. 1 to that in Fig. 2. The latch is also preferably provided with a lateral projection 0, which serves as a stop to limit the closing movement of the latch, and this projection may be of sufficient extent to serve as a handle for the opening movement of the latch, as seen in Figs. 4 and 7. Normally the latch stands in its closed position. To engage the two busks, the two are forced together. The stud O strikes the beveled nose of the latch, caus ing the latch to turn from the opening, as

seen in Fig. 2, until the stud has reached its place in the eye-piece. Then the latch aut0- matically returns to its normal position, bringing the nose Z outside the stud, and so as to close the opening of the eye-piece and prevent the escape of the stud, thus making a positive lock. The latch is disengaged by turning the nose from the opening, as represented in Fig. 2, so that the stud may be freely withdrawn.

The locking of the two parts is automatic, simply requiring suificient pressure to bring the stud to its place in the eyepiece.

The eye-piece instead of being made from a single piece doubled, as I have described, may be made from two plates, as seen in Fig. 8, leaving the outer edge open; but I prefer to bend the blank to produce the double eyepiece, because it makes a stronger and better finished structure.

I claim- The herein=described corset-clasp, consisting of the double eye-piece adapted to be secured to one busk, the doubling of the said eye-piece forming a recess outside the busk, but in a plane substantially parallel there with, the eye-piece constructed with a slotopening through its outer end and of a width corresponding to the body of the stud with which the eyepiece is to engage, alatchhung upon a pivot in said recess of the eye-piece, its nose adapted to swing across the said slot of the eye-piece, the outer edge of the nose of the latch beveled outward, and a spring adapted to yieldingly hold said latch in its closed position with the nose across said slot, substantially as described.

JOSEPH A. LEVISON.

Witnesses:

JOHN J. ENNIS, WM. S. RAMSEY. 

